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Cape Horn

American  

noun

  1. a headland on a small island at the southern extremity of South America: belongs to Chile.


Cape Horn British  

noun

  1. Also called: the Horn.  a rocky headland on an island at the extreme S tip of South America, belonging to Chile. It is notorious for gales and heavy seas; until the building of the Panama Canal it lay on the only sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Miranda wanted to lead a Latin American revolution, and create from Spain’s former colonies a grand republic of Colombia stretching from Cape Horn to California.

From Barron's Jan. 18, 2026

The year is 1856 and they’re near Cape Horn, the most dangerous passage on earth.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 8, 2025

The 51-mile-long canal avoids the need for ships to make the much longer voyage around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 20, 2025

The virus continues spreading down the Chilean coast towards Cape Horn.

From New York Times Apr. 22, 2024

Rounded Cape Horn, the coast of Brazil, stopped for carnival in Port-of-Spain.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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